Continuous-form stapling machine



Oct. 4, 1955 Filed July 16, 1953 FIEl J. LACH CONTINUOUS-FORM STAPLING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet l Oct. 4, J. LACH CONTINUOUS-FORM STAPLING MACHINE Filed July 16, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 4, 1955 1. LACH CONTINUOUS-FORM STAPLING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 16, 1953 Oct. 4, 1955 J. LACH 2,719,299

CONTINUOUS-FORM STAPLING MACHINE Filed July 16, 1953 4 Sheets-Sh00t 4 1 F154 6000OOO:OOQ\O 0/ ooooo oooooooooooooioooo6000 V I Z5 "M )5 i /5 64+ i l I 1 O OOOOiOOO O O OOOOOIOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOO OOOOO United States Patent M CONTINUOUS-FORM STAPLING MACHINE John Lach, Chicago, 11]., assignor to Uarco, Incorporated, a corporation of Illinois Application July 16, 1953, Serial No. 368,339

4 Claims. (Cl. 1--66) This invention relates to an improved method for securing stationery and carbon strips together and more particularly to a number of steps performed in timed relation for placing a staple in aligned cross lines of weakening in superposed stationery and carbon strips and forming them into a continuous zigzag folded pack.

The present method provides a course of procedure in which marginally punched stationery strips may be secured together in superposed relation and the marginal feed bands may be trimmed from the finished stationery in a single operation. Alignment of the transverse lines of weakening between form lengths is assured by a jogging action of the feed pins intermittently advancing the stationery to stapling position.

The method will be described in conjunction with a description of a machine capable of carrying out the steps and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the machine;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional veiw taken through the machine in the direction of stationery travel at substantially along line 2--2 in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an end view of the machine taken from the left-hand end of Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary plan view of stationery used in the machine;

Figure 5 is a side elevational view of the drive feeding unit utilized in the machine showing stationery associated therewith;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 66 in Figure 4 showing the staple in the stationery; and

Figure 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 77 in Figure 6.

The steps of the method may be carried out by the machine illustrated. A framework generally designated 8 has several parts which support the operative run of the stationery at a convenient table height above a floor 9 of a manufacturing plant. The stationery supply 10 is shown as a zigzag folding stack of superposed stationery strips 11 and carbon strips 12, there being 4 stationery strips and 3 carbon strips as illustrated in Figures 4, 6 and 7. This stationery has marginal punched feeding holes 13 on each longitudinal edge as illustrated in Figure 4. The stationery is led over the work portion of the frame 8 past an idler shaft 14 to a pair of feeding units 15. The feeding unit is particularly illustrated in Figure 5 and includes a number of feed pins 16 supported on an endless chain driven over a pair of spaced sprockets, one of which has an opening 17 for receiving a drive shaft 18.

The stationery 10 is led over the feeding units so that one unit has pins entering the marginal feed holes on either side of the strip. The feeding unit intermittently drives forwardly to advance the stationery 10. A motor 19 has a belt drive to gears within a gear box 20 which interconnects all of the driving shafts of the machine and by conventional gearing, drives the feeding units 15 intermittently. Gears within the gear box 20 2,719,299 Patented Oct. 4, 1955 may be changed to fit the particular stationery being put through the machine and the length of each advance of the feeding unit is determined by the longitudinal length of the forms of the stationery. Feeding units 15 are abruptly stopped to position a cross line of weakening such as 21 illustrated in Figure 4 directly beneath a stapling machine generally indicated 22. The anvil 23 for the machine is below the stationery and wire 24 forming staples are fed to a position above the anvil so that a staple 25 will be placed directly upon the line of weakening in the stationery.

One particular advantage of the intermittent feeding of the stationery forwardly to position the lines of weakening at the stapling station is that the stationery may be accurately aligned on the pins so that all of the cross lines of weakening are superposed. Contributing to this effect is the fact that as the stationery is advanced rapidly and stopped very quickly so that a slight rebound due to the inertia joggles the paper on the pins to effect accurate alignment.

The stapling machine is operated by the same motor 19 and gearing in the gear box 20 as are the driving means so that accurately timed relation is achieved. A belt drive 26 operates the stapling machine and a trip lever 27 initiates the stapling machine movements in timed relation to the advance of the feeding units 15.

A second pair of feeding units 28 receive the stationery after it has been stapled and drives the stationery intermittently forwardly by means of a drive shaft 29 driven at the same rate as the drive shaft 18. Units 28 may be omitted if desired and are here included since bothunits 15 and 28 may give a little better control of the stationery. The stationery is allowed to loop downwardly in a festoon 30 between the stapling machine and the final zigzag folded pack 31. Continuously driven pair of feeding units 32 carry the stapled stationery from the festoon to the final pack. Light pressure bars 33 place a small amount of tension on the stationery so that the continuously advancing units 32 may drive the stationery through a pair of rotary trimmer rolls or cutter wheels 34 which remove the marginal punched portions of the stationery. The cutter wheels are driven faster than the continuous feed pins 32 and the stationery is fed continuously to the wheels. Feeding units 15, 28 and 32 are of the same structure and only one of the pair 15 may be seen in the drawings.

The intermittent drive and the continuous drive are operated in timed relation so that the average rate of feed of both types of drives is the same. The bottom portion of the festoon 30 may rise and fall depending upon whether the intermittent drives are advancing the stationery, however, the sum total of linear feed of stationery fed through each type of drive will be the same in any given time.

By following the steps outlined along with a description of the machine illustrated, it will be seen that the stationery may be accurately aligned to receive a fastening device such as a staple on thetransverse line of weakening between form lengths and may thereafter be trimmed and refolded into a zigzag pack all within a single operation. The rate of feed may be quite rapid since the alignment is accurately maintained. Thus, a greater amount of stationery may be produced in a given work period.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, for some modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. The method of securing marginally punched continuous-form stationery strips in superposed relation, form lengths being separated by transverse lines of weakand then to zigzag folded form at a linear rate substantially equal to the average linear rate of the intermittent advance.

2. The method of securing marginally punched continuous-form stationery strips in superposed relation comprising the steps of: intermittently advancing superposed carbon and stationery strips from a source of supply past a stapling station; abruptly halting the advance of the strips at each form length to align a cross line of weakening below a stapling device and for receiving a staple on the line of weakening; advancing the stapled strips through a festoon and continuously advancing the strips from the festoon through a trimmer to remove the punched margins and then into zigzag folded form, and equalizing the intermittent and continuous rates for advancing the strips.

3. The method of securing marginally punched continuous-form stationery strips in superposed relation comprising the steps of: intermittently driving pin feed members engaging the marginal punched portions of the stationery strips to advance form lengths past a stapling station; halting the stationery strips advance in timed relation to operation of a stapling device to properly position each cross line of weakening for receiving a staple; intermittently advancing the strips into a freely hanging festoon; continuously driving additional pin feed members for advancing the strips from the festoon through a trimmer to remove the punched margin and then to zigzag folded form in timed relation to the intermittent advance of the strips.

4. The method of securing marginally punched continuous-form stationery strips in superposed relation comprising the steps of: intermittently advancing superposed carbon and stationery strips from a source of supply past a stapling station in timed relation to operation of a stapling device adapted to place a staple on each transverse line of weakening between form lengths; providing a freely hanging loop in said stationery beyond the stapling station; and continuously advancing the stationery from the loop through a trimmer and removing the punched margins, the average linear rate of intermittent and continuous advance of the strips being substantially equal.

No references cited. 

